Day 5

A picture of your favorite memory.

Wowzers, this one is nearly impossible: how am I supposed to narrow it down to just one memory? I decided to just find two pictures that give a general feeling of my favorite times, way back in the day and more recently.

Basically, most of my favorite memories involve being outside and having adventures with friends and family who mean a lot to me. I remember car camping in the LaSals way back when there were just three of us Hazletts and exploring arroyos before curling up on Grandma's lap to look at the stars. Then the Era of the Pop-up Camper, then the motorhome and cross-country travel. Girls' camp, snipe hunting, discovering hidden and unnamed canyons around Moab. Climbing mountains, each one "the hardest thing I've ever done!" (at least it felt so at the time ;). Lots of hikes and trips to the swimming hole, camping beside the river. Exploring new places like the Nauvoo groves, catching fireflies in Eastern woods at night. Even in New York, standing on a rooftop watching the snow fall in an orange glow. Sledding and climbing and escaping the summer heat in the LaSal Mountains. Lots of river trips with friends, inside jokes and grit and wind and riding the waves. Long days and tired legs and spectacular sunsets. INHUT - the spring term I spent backpacking & driving & canoeing all over Utah getting to know the people, places and history of this vast state. School trips to National Parks, and now living in one of the most remote and beautiful places in the world.



One of these pictures is my little cousin snuggled up in her sleeping bag at Hittle Bottom. The other is Sheena, Chris, Cody & me about to begin an overnight ducky adventure from the Portal to Gold Bar.

I think there's a special closeness you develop with people and with God when you're outside. Conversations are more open and relaxed, stress and distractions are lower, and you feel really alive. You get back down to the simple things and realize that relationships and wholesome dose of fresh air really are the stuff of life :D

Needles Internship

It's been almost a month now, so I think it's just about time to finally post something about my current life. I took a semester off from school to complete an internship as an Interpretive Park Ranger in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park 75 miles south of Moab, UT. I started February 20th and will be done June 10th.

What does that mean?


I get to wear a cool uniform, talk on a radio, drive government vehicles around, manage the campground, collect entrance & bookstore fees, answer questions, answer phones, go on hikes, create and present a campfire program, represent the U.S. Government, and live in one of the coolest places on earth with some of the neatest people.

No, it's not all sunshine and the romantic "National Park Ranger" ideal - sometimes I don't know the answer, sometimes the visitor center hours drag on, sometimes I feel smooshed under the bureaucratic policies, sometimes I miss my family and friends back home and even feel lonely out here in the desert...


...but then a little kid rushes up and asks me a question about coyotes, "Ranger, Ranger!" or I wake up before the sun and watch it paint an ever-changing liquid masterpiece across the sky, or I stand at the edge of a canyon mid-way through a run and listen to my own heart beat in the contented silence broken only by wind and birdsong, and I realize how lucky I am to live out here in the land of glowing rocks. I mean, I live in a National Park! When am I ever going to get this opportunity again? That's all the motivation I need to savor it.

Besides, it's not hard to love this place. Every hike is refreshing. It seems like there is no end to the trails or the things you can learn about this area- and no end to the questions, either. I spend a lot of free time/slow visitors center hours/project time just reading up about the natural & cultural history of the area, the whims and ways of the desert and life itself. It's like school, but so much better because I'm not doing it for a grade, and the parameters are so wide and the interest so keen!

I don't know if this internship will lead me to my life's mission or just help me become confident in my ability to manage a cash register, but either way I aim to help other people out, have grand adventures myself and learn as much as I can about this amazing place. :D

Bucket List

So here it is, my first-ever Bucket List. It's pretty long, I know- I want to have a lot of adventures, what can I say?

At first I was just thinking of far-out things I want to do in the future, then I remembered all the cool things I'd wanted to do- and did- in the past. It's sure been a trip down memory lane! I chose not to include most of the "given" things, like "graduate from high school" or "get my drivers' license." I chose instead to list more unusual, out-of-my-way/comfort zone things.

The interesting thing about a bucket list is that it takes into account mainly one-time events. There are lots of small, everyday things I want to accomplish too, like writing in my journal consistently, eating healthfully, or making a difference in someone's life, but those things are hard to quantify. They are definitely part of these bigger goals, though. New Years' Resolution? No, this is my Bucket List!

More Than I Can Chew

This week showcased several disappointments in my life. It was a pretty good one, but things like homework, review sessions, performances just slipped my mind. I made long to-do lists and couldn't complete those, either, which was discouraging. I realized that I have been asking too much of myself.
Last night (actually, it was at 2 am when I finally finished my homework), I sat down and had a heart-to-heart with myself to figure out where I want to be and what I need to do to get there. My revised plan is not as grand, not as perfect, but it is doable.
Instead of failing to find the time to practice the piano for at least 30 min/day, I am going to play just 5 songs every day. Instead of trying to catch up and getting overwhelmed in journal writing, I am just going to sit down and write a little bit each night. Instead of trying to plow through several chapters in El Libro de Mormon, I am going to focus on each verse. Instead of making a huge effort to go to the gym every day, I am going to stretch every night and get in a run when I can.
I have shuffled my priority list once again, and it fits now. First things first, in wisdom and order- everything else will fall into place a little bit at a time.
After all, I can only chew a little bit at a time.